Jul
10
Cleaning Your Hockey Equipment (How)
Well, this proved to be the more difficult question. After a busy week of internet research, and talking to professional cleaners, manufacturers of specialized sports gear cleaning equipment, and the owner/operators of this equipment across North America I’m honestly considering buying an Ozone Machine.
When I factor in time and cost the Ozone Machines will allow me to reduce the wash frequency, while still ensuring my gear is free from bacteria and odors. Additionaly, using an ozone machine to kill bacteria prior to washing ensures that I’m not contaminating the living area of my home, the bathtub, sink, laundry room, etc. with dangerous bacteria. The following is the process that I am going to use in the near term to clean my hockey gear based on what the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and others recommend:
Note: Following these instructions, is an explanation or information on how I arrived at the process I am using.
How I Clean and Care for My Hockey Gear:
I. Skates
After Each Use:
- Wipe the exterior blade, tower and boot dry after each use.
- Remove the sole insert (which will allow air to reach more of the interior of the skate)
- Remove the skates from the gear bag as soon as I arrive home
- Spray with anti-microbial Febreze*
- Place the skates in an area with good air circulation
*I’m not 100% satisified with using Febreze on my skates. This is where an ozone treatment would be nice.
II. Helmet
After Each Use:
- Wipe dry (Inspect for loose or missing fasteners, broken buckles, missing foam and replace as necessary)
- Remove from gear bag as soon as possible.
- Place in an area with good air circulation.
Weekly:
- Hand wash, warm water, with baby shampoo.
- Dry with a clean cloth
- Place in area with good air circulation to complete drying.
III. Gloves
After Each Use:
- Wash hands with soap and water.
- Wipe dry with towel.
- Spray exterior with anti-microbial Febreze
- Remove from gear bag as soon as possible after returning home.
- Place in area with good air circulation.
Weekly:
- Soak 15 minutes in sink filled with hot water and dishwashing detergent.
- Rinse and wash, repeating until water runs clear from end of fingers on glove.
- Wipe Dry
- Set in area with good air circulation to complete drying process.
IV. Pants, Shoulder Pads, Elbow Pads, Shin Pads
After Each Use:
- Wipe dry
- Remove inner shin pad (Dry Fit) from shin pads
- Remove from bag as soon as possible after returning home
- Place in area with good air circulation to complete drying
Weekly:
- Soak 15 minutes in sink filled with hot water and dishwashing detergent.
- Rinse and wash, repeating until water runs clear from end of fingers on glove.
- Wipe Dry
- Set in area with good air circulation to complete drying process.
IV. Jersey, Socks (both types), Jock
After Each Use:
- Wash in washing machine with normal detergent, and cold water <—thanks Jeff!.
- Dry on low heat cycle in dryer.
Note: Special graphics, embroidery, etc. may require special care. Hand washing and air drying puts less stress on fabrics.
Other:
Stick - Replace top hand tape every time I retape the blade of my stick.
Drying rack - I built a hockey gear tree from PVC Pipe. It holds my gear up off the ground, and allows for good air circulation due to holes I drilled in the PVC. What’s nice is…when you’re preparing for a game, you can see that you’ve packed all your gear rather easily as there’s nothing left on the tree.
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How I decided on my cleaning routine.
We are cleaning our hockey equipment to remove bacteria, common soil, blood, mucous, yeast, sweat, and other gross stuff. So, right off the bat let’s eliminate the non-antibacterial deodorizers and processes from consideration.
We need to wash our helmet, shoulder pads, elbow pads, jocks or jills, pants/breezers, shin pads, skates, socks, and jerseys…plus, don’t forget your gear bag else, as soon as the gear is put in there…it’s contaminated again.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention “About Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among Athletes” (Updated November 2008) athletes should wash their gear after every use and follow the manufacturers recommended cleaning instructions. After inspecting my Easton Hockey Gear, and a trip to Play It Again Sports I find it humorous that despite numerous large tags on hockey equipment, none of the tags contain…instructions for cleaning. However, the CDC also states that normal washing processes and detergents are effective at killing MRSA, and that anti-microbial soaps and high temperature wash water is not necessary for cleaning sports equipment.
There are many companies that produce machines (Fresh Gear, Sani Sport) that use gas-phase ozone to kill bacteria on products that are difficult to wash. These machines do not remove soil, the ozone efficiently kills the bacteria cells. Process times typically range from 15-40 minutes and the newer machines actually dry wet gear as part of the process. These machines have been found safe for equipment like skates and helmets too.
What I find attractive about the ozone machines is this: Currently, when I clean my hockey equipment and gear bag, I’m bringing them into my home with bacteria. It’s great that washing with detergent and water removes the soil and bacteria. But, it is concerning that I’ve probably just contaminated lots of surfaces in my home with MRSA, Strep, etc. If I can use ozone to decontaminate my gear prior to bringing into my home for washing…that’s a HUGE benefit. Plus, ozone treatment is fairly inexpensive. In addition, my primary concern is bacteria and smell. If I can eliminate those two by tossing the gear & bag into a machine every week or so…I’m washing my gear by hand every 6-8 weeks, versus weekly…and I’m not smelling or getting sick.
Another commercially available product that cleans and signifanctly reduces bacteria is the Esporta machine. This is a wet wash product, that is also able to clean skates and helmets. One machine costs $75K and $38 per load to operate. In the process it consumes nearly 400 liters of water, and chemicals.
Fresh Gear has a recommended price of $29.95 to treat one full set of hockey gear. While the cost of cleaning your hockey gear in the Esporta machine can run between $40-60.
We can also use our washing machines and dryers at home using normal detergents to effectively clean our gear, with the exception of our skates and helmets. Top loading agitator models will be rougher on your gear than a front loading machine. Loads will need to be balanced to prevent vibration during the spin cycles. However, we should be aware of cross contaminating the areas of the home that we bring our gear into. It could be dangerous to place dirty gloves on a folding table while you load your washing machine and placing “clean” clothes on that surface before it is cleaned.
Again, per the CDC article referenced above, laundry additives above and beyond normal detergents are not necessary. There are many laundry additives you can purchase to inhibit post-wash bacterial growth. CleenFreek is one example. It comes in an 8 fl.oz. bottle and you are supposed to add 4 fl.oz. per load. Which is roughly $7 per load.
Helmets can be washed with a mild detergent and water. Several sites recommend using tear free baby shampoo, to prevent the possibility of not removing all the detergent from your helmet and then having sweat carry soap into your eyes during a game. Ouch.
Skates can be wiped down with a disinfectant, or sprayed with products like anti-microbial febreze. While the CDC states that use of anti-microbial soaps are not necessary for laundry or handwashing I do believe they are necessary or atleast useful for your skates due to not being able to use detergent and water.
Another option is to hand wash your gear using the same laundry detergent you’d use in your washing machine, or shampoo. Since this method is flexible and allows you to see when the water starts to be clear during agitation and rinsing, it is my preferred method. Which I covered at the beginning of this article.
Hopefully, this information helps explain why I chose the process I stated at the beginning of this article.
